We thought it was cool in the 1960s. On the starship Enterprise, you just walked up to a door and it opened automatically.
Now we take it for granted. I walk up to the door of the supermarket and it opens automatically for me. I get a little miffed if I have to open the door for myself at a store that hasn’t stepped into the 21st century.
Turns out it’s not really a new idea at all. Poised on the banks of the Jordan, God told the priests to dip a toe in and the river would stop flowing. And it did.
“When the feet of the priests carrying the ark stepped down into the edge of the water…then the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap… and all Israel crossed on dry ground (Joshua 3:15-17).
God loves to do that. He loves to turn obstacles into opportunities. He feeds crowds, stills storms, rolls stones aside, and demonstrates his faithfulness and power over and over again.
Even though many in Israel were observing the Sabbath, we had a busy day.
We were on the road at 8 and went to the site of John’s baptisms in the Jordan River. The Jordan is a modest river but the setting of this place was beautiful. At many locations along the banks, groups were baptizing and renewing baptisms. When Lisa and I dipped out feet in the water, lots of little fish tickled our toes.
The Jordan River
The gift shop there was a marvel of the tourist industry. Items for sale included small jars of water from the Jordan, vials of mud from the riverbed, shofar (ram’s horn trumpets), menorah, balms from the Dead Sea, replicas of the ark of the covenant, rosaries, jewelry, dates, honey, dates and much, much more.
We were most interested in the fresh juice drinks sold at a stand. Delicious!
Our next stop was the ancient ruins at Beit She’an. King Saul’s head was displayed there after his defeat on Mt. Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). The Romans built quite a “spa” complex there, complete with bathhouse, theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, temple and shops. The excavation was enormously impressive.
Ruins at Beit She’an
From there we stopped at the springs of Harold, or Gideon’s Cave and springs where he whittled his army down to 300 soldiers to defeat the Midianites ( Judges 7). The park here is a popular Sabbath destination. Tents and picnic blankets stretched as far as you could see. Kids splashed in wading pools as parents grilled supper. Women lounged in the refreshing springs just feet away from the cave itself. We ate our picnic lunch here too, with freshly baked pita, mango, olives, and homemade cheese and mango jelly.
Gideon Springs
As we made our way south to Jerusalem, we made a quick stop at Bet Alef, the ruins of a 4th century synagogue with a beautiful intact mosaic floor. The history and design we learned from a film was fascinating.
4th century flood at Bet Alef synagogue
As we drove south, we saw the mount of Jesus’ temptation in the distance and drove by the Samaritan Inn. The wilderness all around made me appreciate Jesus’ forty days of fasting and temptation (Matthew 4). The deserted road from Jericho to Jerusalem helped me picture Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan.
We finally arrived in Jerusalem and caught a glimpse of the city as we made our way to our next hotel, the Jerusalem Ramada.
Waite for it... 